People, Jan. 22, 1996

Nothing like a little competition between estranged spouses at the box office. KENNETH BRANAGH'S most recent writing effort, A Midwinter's Tale, will be shown at the Sundance Festival this week, while Sense and Sensibility, adapted by his erstwhile wife, EMMA THOMPSON, is still charming audiences nationwide. The films have eerie similarities: they're loosely based on classics (Tale is about a troupe of actors trying to stage Hamlet in a small town); they're dialogue driven; and in each, siblings find romantic partners. But there are telling differences. Branagh's film is small budget, black and white and--some feat--has a happier...